nothing complicated about a pair of 10 inch hose clamp pliers. you know what's complicated? shipping. shipping's complicated. not really. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service shipping's easy. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that's not complicated. no. come on. how about... a handshake. alright. priority mail flat rate boxes. starting at just $5.15. only from the postal service.

eye of the storm. hurricane isaac is slamming the gulf coast with millions of people warned to take cover. we are here. the latest on the fierce winds and rising waters. must love mitt. at the republican convention, presidential nominee mitt romney's wife tells everyone why she fell for him. and chris christie promising the faithful. and k-man, rocks out to rage against the machine and want be dwrosh vice president. meet paul ryan. first member of generation x.

good evening. i am bill weir, and this is new orleans under hurricane isaac. the center of the category 1 hurricane as we speak, about 70 miles south-southwest of the crescent city, canal street where mardi gras floats and cable cars cruise on happier days. a miserable place on this night. the eve of the seventh anniversary of hurricane katrina, the storm that shattered so many lives up and down the gulf coast. a storm that has all of us wondering how will isaac compare? how will the rebuilding hold up? to get a whole picture of what's going on on the gulf coast, the abc news extreme weather team stands out from all the way from gulfport, mississippi and we

will check with all of them in just a moment. but first, this is the image so many people are watching in shelters of plaquemines parish and the latest track shows that isaac came ashore at 6:45 p.m. local time at the mouths of the mississippi with winds of 80 miles an hour. it looks like isaac is destined to be a slow, wet moisture machine which could dump 10 to 20 inches of rain in some areas already saturated and drench the midwest in the coming week. this is what isaac looks like from the international space station tonight. a massive swirl of energy, hundreds of miles across. and this is isaac from the wet and windy streets of new orleans where trees are falling. power lines are snapping, transformers blowing under the strain of those powerful gusts. after a handful of arrests of looters taking advantage of evacuated homes, sheriff, police

and national guard are out in force tonight. but once the winds reach over 60 miles an hour, many parishes refuse to respond to 911 calls from those who chose to stay and ride it out. and after spending billions to shore up the levee system that broke here seven years back, the infamous 17th street canal is having no problem containing isaac so far tonight. there are some surges that are going over some roads. we're hearing reports, also over 200,000 people without power so far tonight. when this thing blows past, it's going to be a sweltering few days here in louisiana. now, to get a full picture, as mentioned, let's check in with our abc news extreme weather team starting with ryan owens, who is southwest of us here in houma, louisiana. ryan, how are you doing? >> hey, bill, good to see you. we're about 60 miles south and to the west of you to be exact.

not at all far from the gulf of mexico and not at all far from the eye of isaac. we expect that will pass directly over us here in houma in an hour or two. so far, it's not raining. we've seen plenty of rain tonight throughout bands. we have seen gusty bands but nothing that approaches hurricane strength. we are hunkered down at the public library here, about 100 blocks from the shelter. people with small children, saying we're not going to take a chance of losing power, not with small children in the house. ironically, we met one mother there who has a 4-year-old son whose name is isaac. she said he's getting quite a bit of grief around that shelter when people find out he shares a name with this storm. bill? >> you got to wonder how many isaacs will be born nine months or so from tonight. ryan, thanks so much. let's go over to ginger zee. she is east of us in gulfport,

mississippi sometimes, a forgotten spot, as we talk about, post-katrina world. ginger, how are we holding up tonight? >> well, tonight, we're right along highway 90. one of the only stretches still dry. this thoroughfare now shut down from bay st. louis bridge to biloxi bay bridge. so a long stretch all because of flooding that's been one of the big issues here in gulfport. now wind gusts not as much. we took a drive. it's not pretty. it's not something you want to drive through. there's a mandatory curfew in effect here, especially at the beaches. it's completely ghosttowns. i want to talk wind speed. we haven't seen many more gusts of 40-plus. really, the place that has it is just in plaquemines parish. you've been mentioning that. 80-mile-an-hour gusts there. and there's a reason for it.

the plaquemines parish president actually had parts of his roof taken off and that is because, as that eye wall crossed over plaquemines parish it carries 80-mile-an-hour winds. but it's also on the right side of the storm. as the counterclockwise rotation going to the left, a little science here, just to the northeast of the center of the hurricane is where you'll get that extra, added higher winds. it's because you're adding the speed of the wind itself plus the eye wall. one place they're going to have high winds and also a big old storm surge. >> ginger, we'll take extreme weather from you any night. over to matt gutman in gautier, mississippi with the latest. >> bill, i'm about 100 miles east of you in mississippi.

the rain and wind starting to pick up feels like small needles stinging your face. flooding obviously the major issue here. we've been here watching the waters rise. now, i'm on this pier, several feet above the water and now several feet beneath it. and the wind is forcing it to crumble apart as we speak. one of the reasons that we've seen evacuation orders here in this marina and all these coastal communities, the folks aren't too concerned about the wind that you're seeing. it's all this water. now, driving through here really seems like ghost town, folks are taking the evacuations very, very seriously. but as the weather continues to work and there's more bad news, the floodwaters are only going to get worse, bill. this is low tide. by morning, it's supposed to be even higher than this. bill. >> well, matt, thank you so much. this is the most dramatic part of the storm. but some of the most dangerous

days are to come. thanks to all of you. when we come back, my much drier co-archer terry moran will join us from the republican national convention. big night in american politics. but i want to remind everyone that sam champion, myself, the rest of the weather team will be out in the storm all night to bring you the latest on hurricane isaac first thing on "good morning america." and we'll be right back. it doesn't get any better than endless shrimp at red lobster. with a wide variety, you can mix and match all day. scampi, grilled, the fried -- there's nothing better. [ male announcer ] at last, red lobster's endless shrimp is back, but only for a limited time, for just $14.99. try as much as you like, any way you like, like new parmesan crusted shrimp or new teriyaki grilled shrimp, all with salad and unlimited cheddar bay biscuits, for just $14.99. [ ryan ] they can try everything. they love it. i'm ryan isabell. i'm a server for red lobster, and i sea food differently. before i started taking abilify,

i was taking an antidepressant alone. most days i could get out from under and carry on. but other days i still struggled with my depression. i was handling it... but sometimes it still dragged me down. i'd been feeling stuck for a long time. so i talked to my doctor and she added abilify to my antidepressant. she said it could help with my depression, and that some people had symptom improvement as early as 1 to 2 weeks. i'm glad i talked to her. i wish i'd done it sooner. now i feel more in control of my depression. [ female announcer ] abilify is not for everyone. call your doctor if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. elderly dementia patients taking abilify have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor if you have high fever, stiff muscles, and confusion to address a possible life-threatening condition. or if you have uncontrollable muscle movements, as these could become permanent. high blood sugar has been reported with abilify and medicines like it

and in extreme cases can lead to coma or death. other risks include increased cholesterol, weight gain, decreases in white blood cells, which can be serious, dizziness on standing, seizures, trouble swallowing, and impaired judgment or motor skills. depression was always hanging over me. then my doctor added abilify to my antidepressant. now i feel better. [ female announcer ] if you're still struggling with depression talk to your doctor to see if the option of adding abilify is right for you. and be sure to ask about the free trial offer. hey, bro. or engaging. conversations help us learn and grow. at wells fargo, we believe you can never underestimate the power of a conversation. it's this exchange of ideas that helps you move ahead with confidence. so when the conversation turns to your financial goals... turn to us. if you need anything else, let me know. wells fargo. together we'll go far.

hello, i'm terry moran from tampa, florida, and the republican national convention. tonight, ann romney came to this convention with a mission, to humanize her husband. and governor chris christie of

new jersey threw his considerable political weight into the mix with a speech that fired up the delegates, though they might need it. right now, mitt romney remains a vague and slightly unappealing candidate to many voters. romney's got the lowest popularity of any presidential candidate in decades. 40% of americans view him favorably. 51% have an unfavorable opinion of him. that's worse than dukakis and jimmy carter. the stakes were high when ann romney stepped out on the steps. >> -- united states, around romney. >> reporter: she came when those who clearly adore her. >> florida, welcome. >> reporter: she had a story to tell them. a love story. >> i want to talk to you tonight about that one great thing that unites us.

tonight, i want to talk to you about love. >> reporter: this was a strong confident william reaching across the big gender gap in this campaign with a direct appeal to the broad american sisterhood. >> we're the mothers. we're the wives. we're the grandmothers. we're the big sisters. we're the little sisters, and we are the daughters. i love you, women. >> reporter: the message of this speech was simple and unusual in politics. i fell in love with mitt, she was essentially saying, you can, too. >> he was tall, laughed a lot. he was nervous. girls like that. it shows a guy's a little intimidated. he was nice to my parents, but he was also really glad when they weren't around. >> reporter: ann romney had never given a prepared speech before, she said. never used a teleprompter. and she told diane sawyer today she was a little shaky about the whole thing ahead of time. >> what do you do when you're

nervous? >> i take a deep breath. the funny thing is i really don't get that nervous when i speak. and i don't get that nervous when i do tv interviews or anything else. the only time i've been nervous is when i show my heart. and go figure. >> out of the podium, she remembered their early days. >> we walked to class together. shared the house. ate a lot of pasta and tuna fish, but those were the best days. >> they have to like the person they're going to look at for the next four years. >> reporter: cokie roberts has been coming to conventions since 1964, she sees ann romney's position one of the toughest that a spouse has had. perhaps only a wife could testify like ann romney did tonight and take head on president obama's main attack on her husband, that he is too rich to understand ordinary

americans. >> you know what it actually amazes me to see his history of success being attacked. but as his partner on this amazing journey, i can tell you mitt romney was not handed success. he built it. >> reporter: all those years together, she said in an impassioned conclusion add up to one great point she wants voters to grasp. >> i can't tell you what will happen over the next four years. but i can only stand here tonight as a wife, a mother and a grandmother, an american, and make you this solemn commitment. this man will not fail. >> reporter: and then there he was. there they were. the kids who married so young. the couple who have been through so much, a man and wife, now setting sail for the white house. and so the love story ended. and it was the jersey boy's chance. governor chris christie of new

jersey, they loved him in this party. was very, very different from ann romney. tough love. >> our leaders today have decided it's more important to be popular. to be popular. to say and do what's easy and to say yes rather than to say no, when no is what is required. tonight, we're going to choose respect over love. see, we're not afraid. we are not afraid. we're taking our country back. >> reporter: and christie gave them red meat, too. >> we believe in telling hard-working families the truth about our country's fiscal realities. telling them what they already know. the math of federal spending does not end up. here's their plan whistle a happy tune driving off a cliff. >> reporter: christie in your face style put the mood to this party personal right now.

confrontational, a little ticked off, maybe, looking for a leader. so when mitt romney emerged to join ann earlier, how many of them were still wondering, is he the one? pressure on mitt. next up, he loves grunge rock and could be america's vice president. all about paul ryan next. you know why i sell tools? tools are uncomplicated.

nothing complicated about a pair of 10 inch hose clamp pliers. you know what's complicated? shipping. shipping's complicated. not really. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service shipping's easy. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that's not complicated. no. how about... a handshake. alright. priority mail flat rate boxes. starting at just $5.15. only from the postal service. oh, we call it the bundler. let's say you need home and auto insurance. you give us your information once, online...

[ whirring and beeping ] [ ding! ] and we give you a discount on both. sort of like two in one. how did you guys think of that? it just came to us. what? bundling and saving made easy. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

abut it'll become so much more. concrete and steel... a new world-class resort casino in maryland. two thousand construction jobs to build it. four thousand permanent, good-paying jobs when it's done. hundreds of millions for maryland schools... real oversight to make sure the money goes... where it's supposed to. but none of it will happen unless we vote for... question seven this november. vote for question seven. and help build a better future for maryland.